John's Musings
-
Energy Security and Canadian Foreign Policy: A Role for Nuclear Energy
Recently the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) published a "Policy Perspectives" paper I wrote, as part of its Canada and energy security s... -
Post-Pandemic Strategic Planning -- the Nuclear Sector as a Best Practice?
In a previous blog, I mused about the importance of assessing the foreign and domestic policy implications of energy technology from a strategic p... -
Metaphor and Imagination in Energy Policy
A few blogs ago, I described the mapmaker’s art as part of a larger social endeavour. What strikes me time and again in looking at old maps, atla... -
A young nuclear engineer talks about "Generation Green"
I recently read the short presentation by Fabricia Piñeiro, a young Generation Z nuclear engineer about how her generation sees nuclear energy. It ... -
International Diplomacy and the Nuclear Industry - A Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Canadian Industry Delegation to IAEA General Conference - Sept 2016 Perhaps you are like me. At Christmas I always find a 1,000-piece jigsaw ... -
How Industry Can Help Strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The NPT bans the horizontal spread of nuclear weapons and ... -
FRANK SAUNDERS - A friend's tribute
I'm still reeling from the news of Frank Saunder’s sudden passing on July 4. The news didn’t reach me until a couple of days later, and I’ve spent... -
Open Skies or "The Warsaw Pact: My Part in its Downfall"
I was going to call this Musing “Open Skies: From Concept to International Treaty”. But Spike Milligan’s book about his time in the British Army during World War II came to mind. Largely a humorous tale of things gone wrong, interlaced with comic situations, he modestly titled his book: “Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall”.
So here’s my part in the downfall of the Warsaw Pact.
-
Mapmaking as a human endeavour
As you’ve surely noticed, there are certain nautical and map-related themes and images on the Portolan Global website. Let me tell you a bit about ... -
Canada's civil nuclear capability - A strategic asset in foreign policy
The global economy and energy markets are in a state of transition. Internationally and at home there is growing concern over climate change and t... -
The "global" in Portolan Global
In the previous (and first) episode of John’s Musings, I spoke about where the word “portolan” comes from and why I chose it as a theme for the com... -
What's in a name?
As you can see from the “Why Portolan?” section, a portolan is an early harbour-finding chart to guide mariners safely to their destinations. Porto...
